Management Approach: Supplier Collaboration
Avient’s value extends not only to consumers through specialty products, but beyond the boundaries of our own processes and operations. Strong, transparent relationships with suppliers are key to our success.
Our Supplier Code of Conduct drives interactions with our suppliers and expectations for doing business, and is aligned closely with International Labor Organization (ILO) standards. It includes requirements for child and forced labor, the right to collective bargaining, non-discrimination, employee health and safety, conflict minerals Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) due diligence, and ethical treatment of the environment.
Avient includes in its Code of Conduct and Supplier Code of Conduct internal accountability standards related to slavery and human trafficking to which all employees, agents and consultants are required to adhere. Where required by law, we also have specific disclosures and processes in place, including a supplier audit program that focuses on human trafficking. To our knowledge no suppliers have been found to engage in such activity.
Supplier Evaluation
In 2023, Avient continued to make progress with its Sustainable Sourcing Program to evaluate more of our partners. In addition to aligning our suppliers with the Supplier Code of Conduct, the program is designed to address quality, cost and reliability requirements, and a range of sustainability, social responsibility, and environmental considerations. The intent is for Avient to increase supply chain compliance, and to make business allocation and sourcing decisions on who we partner with based on sustainability and quality-related risk.
Sustainable Sourcing Program
Avient’s Sustainable Sourcing Program focuses on embedding sustainable practices into our supply chain decisions. Last year, Avient completed the first phase of the program which focused on training and evaluating our suppliers on environmental, social, and governance requirements, per the UN Global Compact principles. We partnered with EcoVadis and IntegrityNext in order to complete these assessments. In 2023, Avient collected sustainable assessments for 70% of our total direct spend for sourcing. Of those collected, 81% of the suppliers reported an EcoVadis medal rating in their overall scorecard evaluation. Additionally, Avient’s self-assessments, based on ISO 9001/IATF 16949, are requested of suppliers in order to provide insight into the core components of their Quality Management Systems (QMS) and subsequently used as approval criteria for Avient’s most sensitive end applications.
Looking forward, Avient’s Sustainable Sourcing Program is developing a framework to hold our partners accountable to improve upon their sustainable supply chain, including analyzing areas of risk such as quality, environmental, social, geopolitical financial, conflict minerals, and more. We seek to move the needle in expanding our Sustainable initiatives with the partnership of our suppliers.
Through the Sustainable Sourcing Program, we expect our suppliers to continuously assess and evaluate their sustainability efforts, improving their performance over time. Avient is committed to continue partnerships with suppliers who align with the following policies:
- Environmental Policy
- Health and Safety Policy
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- Human Rights Policy
- Quality Policy
Conflict Minerals Process
Avient’s business objective is to use conflict free materials and components in our products and expects our global supply chain partners to do the same. Avient has elected to utilize the reporting template provided by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) formerly Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative, which facilitates the transfer of information through the supply chain regarding mineral country of origin as well as smelters and refiners being utilized. The template also facilitates the identification of new smelters and refiners to potentially undergo an audit via the RMI Conflict–Free Smelter program. Avient holds this process as a standard with all suppliers, thus reducing third-party supply chain risk. It is part of our policy and partnership with our suppliers that they follow the responsibilities and procedure of RMI and are obliged to our Conflict Mineral Policy.
Goals and Progress
Plan for 2024
Assess 75% of suppliers for sustainability alignment.
Embed sustainable sourcing practices with our suppliers through our third-party risk management (TPRM) program.
Provide TPRM training to all sourcing associates and supplier partners on Avient’s Sustainable Sourcing Program.
